


tough cookie

by noodlevault



Category: Entry Point (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26759455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noodlevault/pseuds/noodlevault
Summary: A very short fic about the dynamic between a pseudo-father and a pilot with no parental figure.
Kudos: 11





	tough cookie

The helicopter’s systems blared warnings at her as it spun out of control, bringing tears to the girl’s eyes as the pull of gravity rendered any attempt to save herself useless. The back half of the helicopter was gone, blown to bits by explosives planted before takeoff. 

“JACKDAW! JACKDAW! JACKDAW, THEY BLEW UP MY HELI!” She screams into the radio over the wind, desperately trying to get her message through as she starts to plummet. 

There was no response. Not even static. The explosion must have vaporized all other communications. She lets go of the radio, watching it disappear into the sky as she realizes that it would end here. 

_I thought I had more time left_.

She’s thrown out of her seat, careening towards the landscape below with nothing but her flight suit and headset. She tries to right herself, but her body keeps spinning uncontrollably. She couldn’t reach for a parachute that wasn’t there, anyway. 

It was eerily quiet, she thought. No alarms. No noises of metal plating breaking off a hull. Just the wind whipping against her flight suit.

_I lived an okay life._

After all, it was best to just accept death here. She did all that she could, but it was simply her time to go. 

_I’m sorry for never writing back, mom._

She blacked out before the pain of falling through the tree below her could register.

-

“THOSE BASTARDS!” 

He climbs out of the van, followed by four other operatives. They’ve pulled over on the side of a dirt road, hidden in a dense forest. It was her last broadcasted location before the comms shut off.

“SPARROW!” He shoves his way through the brush, breaking into a sprint once he spots debris from the crash.

He begins to lose hope as he’s turned over almost every piece of shrapnel looking for her. His heart sinks. 

_Would I find remains?_

Before he can dwell on the thought, one of the operatives starts to yell from afar.

“I FOUND HER!”

He takes off in their direction, skidding to a stop as he sees the pilot caught in a dense bush, cuts all across her body from sharp tree branches. She’s unmoving.

“Sparrow…” He approaches her, wondering if the unthinkable happened. His face goes white as he hesitates before pressing two fingers on the side of her neck.

A gentle pulse comes from the vein under the pads of his fingers, and his eyes widen.

“GET TO THE VAN, WE’RE GETTING HER TO THE HOSPITAL.” He orders the operatives, and they nod before making their way back up to the dirt road. He lifts her out of the bushes.

_She was always so small next to me. I never considered her delicate, though. I'd describe her as a 'tough cookie'. I never said it out loud, though. You'd make fun of me because I sounded like an old man._

Her arms are limp, hanging over his shoulders as he carries her in this manner.

Ever so gently, the tips of her fingers twitch.

“Don’t move, kid. You’re gonna be okay.” His voice wavers, but he keeps it leveled. Relief washes through his body.

She murmurs something unintelligible into his shoulder, eyes still shut tightly. He guessed she still wasn’t fully conscious. 

“It’s okay. We’re getting you someplace safe.” He hushes her.

She continues to murmur, arms still limp. He gently holds the back of her head; his palm comes back sticky.

He climbs into the van, still carrying the pilot, ordering one of the operatives to drive. Nobody dared to make a sound, leaving him to grieve in silence.

“I’m really sleepy, dad.” She mumbles, voice barely a whisper, head leaning into the crook of his neck ever so slightly.

“Go back to sleep, kiddo.” He whispers back.

Her words took him by surprise. Although in context wouldn’t make sense, the title felt oddly right, in a way. He holds her closer as she falls back unconscious.

He'd make sure Halcyon would pay the price for messing with his kids.


End file.
